About You Now
by MissKaylee
Summary: Two weeks have passed since Jackson and Ramona's unexpected kiss. They have avoided each other non-stop for those two weeks, only now life is about to catch up with them. Can these two handle the ups and downs that life is about to bring them or will giving up be the best option for them all? Companion piece for "Protecting You"
1. Chapter 1

_Hey everybody! I told you if inspiration struck then I would write another story for Jackson and Ramona and guess what . . . INSPIRATION HAS STRUCK! Haha anyway this story is a companion piece to Protecting You. It leaves off two weeks after that one-shot. Also if you will look underneath the title on this document you will see that I have this as CHAPTER ONE. That's right, you guessed it. This story will have multiple chapters in it. Not sure how many, but I'll let you know when I do. Hope you all enjoy this!_

 ** _Codymitchell1: Sequel has been made!_**

 ** _Guest (The Ghost): Thank you, Ghost. It is always good to hear from you. I'm glad that you like my stories._**

 ** _dove morgan: You will just have to read this story and find out ;)_**

 _All rights go to the creators of Full House and Fuller House._

* * *

 **About You Now**

 _ **Chapter One**_

Jackson Fuller's brain would not shut off.

Turning onto his side, he glared at the alarm clock on his nightstand. 3:57 AM flashed against the screen as if the time was laughing at him – mocking him. It was completely dark outside and the light of the sun wouldn't begin to rise for several more hours. Max slept soundlessly six feet away from him. At this moment Jackson envied his little brother. He was so young and did not yet of the pressures of life piling on top of him.

Jackson, on the other hand, was so stressed that his brain wouldn't even shut off to allow him a few hours of peace. On top of his schoolwork and everyday chores, he was still grounded from his impromptu fight with his friend/enemy, Popko. Also, his best friend – who he kissed two weeks ago – has refused to speak to him and is currently avoiding him and he needs to figure out what exactly and how to tell his girlfriend, Lola about everything.

Closing his eyes again, Jackson tried to lull his brain to sleep. At this point he'd be happy to pass out just from pure exhaustion. His eyes soon snapped open in frustration. _I'm never going to get to sleep,_ he thought helplessly. _Maybe some milk or something will help._

Carefully without making noise Jackson pushed aside his blankets and climbed out of bed. Jackson made a point to avoid any toys Max may have left on the floor – now was not the time to step on a Lego – and tip-toed out of their shared bedroom. He successfully evaded the squeaky floor board as he passed by Tommy's nursery and walked down the stairs that led into the kitchen.

As he reached the bottom of the stairs, his heart momentarily stopped in fright. He had not expected to see anyone down here at four o'clock in the morning, but he had been wrong. In front of him – with an equally surprised look on her face – stood Ramona, the fridge opened beside her.

"W-what are you doing here?" Jackson kicked himself. _Smooth Jackson. Real smooth. This is the first time you see her in two weeks and you stutter like an idiot._

Even in the dark he could make out Ramona's raised eyebrow and the look that clearly said, _I live here to, you idiot._

"I just – uh, I didn't expect anyone to be awake right now," he elaborated.

Ramona shrugged a single shoulder and turned back toward the fridge. "I couldn't sleep." Her voice was mumbled, and the explanation wasn't great, but Jackson didn't care because she was talking to him again. His best friend was talking to him again for the first time in weeks and a part of him couldn't be happier.

Unfortunately, the other part knew better than to enjoy this moment. She said three words to him, which was a great first step, but there was still a lot the two had to speak about. Starting with the kiss. . . .

 _The cold water from the ice pack soon snapped Jackson out of his trance. Jumping up from his spot on the couch, he tossed the ice pack into the freezer and surged up the stairs and down the hall to Ramona's room._

 _He fist jabbed against the door in a frenzied knock. "Ramona?"_

 _No response to his knocking._

" _Ramona?" He tried again with a somewhat calmer knock. "Come on. Please open the door."_

 _Normally he would love to get some quiet from his sarcastic, fast-talking friend, only not right after a huge development in their friendship._

 _He sighed as he said her name, "Ramona, we have to talk about this. I'll be in my room. Just barge in whenever you're ready." He usually hated when people simply barged into his room, but this was a pressing exception._

 _Lowering his hand from the door, Jackson backed up from his former room and into his current one. Only closing the door half-way, he parked himself at his desk so he could keep an eye on Ramona's door._

 _For the next hour, his eyes never flickered from her door which drove him insane. There was no squeak of her door. No mutterings of Spanish. Not even the crackle of a sour gummy worm bag opening. Only complete and utter silence and Jackson hated it._

 _Growing up, the two had never had trouble speaking their mind to each other. It was probably because, at the time, they seriously disliked each other so it didn't matter what the other said at the time. Then Kimmy and Ramona moved in. His mom even tried bribing him with chocolate and sweets to make sure he was cool with it. At first the dislike stayed the same._

 _Then slowly the relationship changed. While Ramona was readjusting to a new school, and making new friends, and the divorce of her parents, Jackson was adjusting to life without his father around, and his home suddenly being over-run by females. The two would have denied it if anyone asked, but they needed each other._

 _They needed a friend who understood what the other was going through. They each needed someone who understood the situation, but was still biased at the same time. That is what they found in each other._

 _Jackson and Ramona began to grow closer after that._

 _Their dislike soon changed to like. Their enemy status on Facebook was quickly updated to friends. Not long after that they became each other's best friend. Lola was of course Ramona's girlfriend – best friend, and Popko was Jackson's guy friend – best friend. But when they weren't in need of their respective girl/guy best friends, they were with each other._

 _Then everything began to change again._

 _After a very, very long chase, Jackson managed to go from sort of dating Lola to being actual boyfriend-girlfriend, and he couldn't have been happier. The pieces of his life were finally beginning to fit together once again. Sure, school sucked, but his friends were falling into place, he was getting used to having Kimmy and Stephanie in his life more regularly, his mom was happy, and even began dating Matt, also he was dating the girl of his dreams._

 _But of course nothing can actually go well in his life for long. Ramona took a chance and jumping into the fire by kissing Popko. She was then burned because of it. A couple of months later, she gave him a second chance and this time the disaster was worse than Hiroshima._

 _Jackson thought he was doing what was right. He was trying to protect his friend only he ended up hurting her in the process. With the help of Ramona's Achilles heel – sour gummy worms – she forgave him and Jackson promised not to do something like that again._

 _That should have been the end of it, but, of course, it never is._

 _The very next day, Popko was at school and had his arm around his newest girlfriend without a care in the world. Jackson couldn't stand it. Popko had one of the best girls at school and he threw her away without a second thought. Without thinking, Jackson slammed his locker and stalked over to where Popko stood against his locker._

 _In that moment not even his mother could have stopped Jackson from punching Popko in the jaw. He luckily had the element of surprise on his side and was actually able to land a good punch on his face. Unluckily, Popko was quick to respond. Jackson may not be able to open mayo jars most days of the week, but that day he must have peaked because he was actually able to somewhat hold his own in that fight._

 _It wasn't until the teachers pulled the two apart did they realize that they'd attracted a crowd. The two had been sent home early that day and received two days suspension. His mother was not happy. She grounded him and took away every piece of joy and fun in his life._

 _Then Ramona arrived home. She immediately noticed the bruises that littered Jackson's face and demanded to know what happened. He told her the truth which seemed to gain him some points in their friendship. Only maybe too many points were gained because they were soon pulled together like magnets. Their lips were not left with any other option, but to meet._

 _The kiss was brief, but it became the cause of two weeks of avoidance, short answers, awkward dinner conversations and living room exits._

Stepping further into the kitchen, Jackson pulled a glass from the top cupboard and reached around Ramona for the milk carton. After pouring himself a small glass, he sighed at the awkwardness of the situation. The tension needed a knife to be cut. _They were best friends,_ he thought furiously. _It shouldn't be this way between them._

"Ramona, we need to talk about what happened," he spoke up quietly.

"Why?" Her expression was unreadable. "It was a mistake."

Jackson couldn't stop the pang that shocked his chest at her words. "Is that what you think?"

Ramona released a tired sigh and shut the refrigerator. "What I think is that you are dating my best friend. _You_ are one of my best friends. That kiss . . . it never should have happened."

Understanding the situation he was probably putting her in, Jackson nodded his head in agreement. "Okay."

"Okay?" She asked confused.

"'Okay' as in we will pretend like that kiss never happened. _I_ will continue dating Lola, _you_ will continue being her friend, and _we_ will continue to being best friends," he said the sentence like he was devising a strategy for war. He fought to keep the shakiness out of his voice.

Ignoring the glass of milk he had just poured, Jackson turned his back to Ramona and made his way back up the stairs to his room. Careful of the same obstacles as before, he managed to make his way back to bed with little misfortune. Pulling the blankets on top of him, Jackson looked at the clock again. 4:10 AM.

With a frustrated sigh, Jackson thought, _Maybe I can catch up on my sleep in study hall tomorrow. I'm obviously not going to be getting any tonight._

* * *

 _Alright now that is the end of chapter one! I hope you all enjoyed it. Now remember you all know how much I love to read your feedback . . . so get typing! Lol!_

 _~Kaylee_


	2. Chapter 2

_Alright and here we go with chapter two! Now this is personally my favorite chapter I think in this story. It has everything: blackmail, a tiny hint of romance, and comfort from family. It is also a long chapter so I hope it is definitely worth the read._

 _All rights go to the creators of Full House and Fuller House._

* * *

 **About You Now**

 _ **Chapter Two**_

Even though Jackson and Ramona agreed to forget about the kiss, neither spoke with the other that next day. In P.E. they paired up with different people. No notes were passed during English. No conversations were had at lunch.

Ultimately the two remained as separated as they have been for the past two weeks now. Or at least that's how the two remained until science class later that day. Science class was their final period of the day, and it was about to become memorable.

At first, science class was a quiet affair. The teacher decided to put on a documentary and the class had to follow along with the video and answer the questions on the worksheet he handed out. Jackson sat at the lab table at the back of the classroom. At the beginning of the semester, Mr. Wright had assigned seats chosen. Jackson had chosen to sit next to Popko, and at first it was great, but now after their recent fallout, it was anything but.

Jackson tried to pay attention to the video at first, but he zoned out before the halfway mark was even hit. At one point Popko reached over and flicked Jackson in the head. He turned around and glared at his former friend. "What was that for?"

"Just for fun." Popko smirked cockily. "You're coming to my party tomorrow night. My parents are out of town and we'll have the house to ourselves for the party."

"I'm not going to your stupid party," Jackson said.

Popko raised an eyebrow. "Actually, I think you are."

Jackson narrowed his eyes. "Why do you think that?"

"Because I know something about you and Ramona. You two _k-i-s-s-e-d_."

His thirteen year old heart skipped a beat. How did he know about that? Did Ramona tell him?! No, he decided. Ramona wouldn't do that. Things may be awkward right now, but she wouldn't spite him like that.

He decided to play dumb. "What are you talking about?"

Popko merely rolled his eyes. "Please. I'm not an idiot. You and Ramona have been acting weird since your pathetic attempt to beat me up. It's not that hard to figure out. You two kissed and now you're avoiding each other."

Well he hit the nail on that coffin, Jackson thought bitterly.

Dread filled his stomach. Unfortunately, lying his way out of this one was not an option.

"What do you want?" he asked him quietly.

Popko nodded approvingly. "Alright. Now we're getting somewhere. You are going to come to my party tomorrow. Oh, and bring Ramona."

"And if I don't?" he challenged.

The second thirteen year old leaned forward threateningly. "You will do this because if you don't then I will tell everyone. You will be labeled a cheater, and Ramona will be the new school tramp."

He continued. "Ramona's reputation would be ruined. All of her hard work, down the drain. Her friends would shun her."

Jackson shook his head. "We only kissed. That wouldn't happen."

Popko raised a daring eyebrow. "Wouldn't it? You know kids these days. You know how hard society is on girls especially. They're mean. A girl can get a bad reputation just by kissing two different boys in one week. Now, Ramona is the other woman. That is even worse. Do you really want to _risk_ it?"

Jackson shook his head. "Fine, you win. Both Ramona and I will be at your party tomorrow."

Popko smirked.

"Good." The bell rang signaling the end of class. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

Jackson didn't move. Head in hands he wished he could go back in time and not come to school. His life would have been a lot simpler.

* * *

As soon as classes are released the clock tower immediately fills with students. Upon entering the school it immediately opens up to our main lobby and cafeteria. Separating the two is a trophy case that houses a large clock and next to it is a replica of the Eiffel tower. Rumor was that a decade or so ago there was a school dance and the theme was Paris. They put the Eiffel tower up and after the dance they never took it down. Now it remains there as part of the school. Everyone now refers to the space not as a cafeteria or a lobby, but as the clock tower.

It's confusing, but it works.

Jackson scoured the heads of his peers until a found a familiar looking face in the crowd of people. Ramona sat at one of the round tables next to another familiar looking face. Josh Hannigan was in the same P.E. class as me and Ramona, and from the look of the books that surrounded them he must have been in Ramona's history class as well. Josh was pretty popular and played on the school's soccer team as well. It was a general nice guy. For the most part, Jackson liked him only why did his stomach seem to clench at the sight of them together?

Shaking the feeling away he walked toward them.

"Hey you guys," he greeted them.

Josh looked up and smiled at him while Ramona simply watched him clearly waiting to see what he wanted.

"Ramona, can I talk to you for a sec?" he asked.

She looked like she was about to argue when Josh quickly interrupted her. "It's no problem. You guys stay here. I'll head over and get us some snacks from the vending machine."

Jackson nodded his head in thanks. He sat down next to his friend once Josh walked a safe distance away.

"We need to talk," he told her quietly.

"So talk." Ramona didn't remove her eyes from her textbook.

"Popko knows." Her eyes met his. "You know about us. About the kiss."

Her eyes narrowed. "How does he know? Did you tell him?"

Shaking his head, he told her, "Of course not. He figured it out. He watched our behavior and could tell that something was wrong."

Ramona was clearly annoyed. "That boy always did watch too much Criminal Minds."

He chuckled slightly at her words before continuing, "He wants us to go to his house tomorrow. His parents are out of town and he's throwing a party. He wants us both there."

"Why?" she demanded.

"I don't know," he confessed. "He just said we had to be there and if we didn't he would tell everybody about what we did."

She sighed at his words. "You know he probably has something planned for us at the party right?"

"I know," he stated. He had already figured that part out. "So will you come?"

"I don't really have a choice now do I?"

Before anything else could be said, Josh returned with two bags of chips and some bottled waters. "Everything okay?" He asked hesitantly.

Jackson tried to meet Ramona's eyes only to find that hers had returned to her textbook. "Yeah," he nodded grimly. "Everything is fine. I was just telling Ramona that our moms are going out tonight with my aunt so we'll be babysitting my brothers."

Josh nodded. He didn't seem to completely believe that but he didn't argue with his words.

Jackson picked up his backpack from where he had set it on the floor and stood up from the table. He quickly turned back toward them. "Oh, and Josh," he gestured to the two different chip flavors that he had bought, "you should give Ramona the barbeque chips. They're her favorites."

He turned around and made his way out of the school missing the brief smile that crossed Ramona's face.

* * *

Later that night Jackson walked into the kitchen to find Stephanie at the counter eating a brownie. "Hey Aunt Steph," he greeted.

She smiled at him, "Hey, what's going on?" She seemed to sense that something was wrong. "Is everything okay?"

Jackson shook his head. "Not really. I'm going to a party tomorrow and I honestly don't want to go," he confessed to her.

She sent him a questioning look. "Then why are you?"

He absently shrugged. "All of my friends are going so I kind of have to."

"Is Ramona going?" she asked. He simply nodded his head in response.

"Well Jackson just know that no one can pressure you to do anything," she told him.

"I know," he said. "Mom already gave me the peer-pressure talk."

Stephanie nodded in understanding. "Okay then how about we have a different talk. Did I ever tell you about the time I went to a party at my friend Gia's house?"

"No," he replied.

"Well when I was about your age, my friend Gia invited me over. She told me that she was having a party while her mom was at work. So we asked my dad if I could go."

"Grandpa let you go to an unsupervised party?!" That did not seem like his grandfather at all.

Stephanie scoffed. "Please, he never would have let me out of the house if I had asked him that." She smiled. "No instead when he asked if there was going to be supervision, Gia said, 'Mr. Tanner my mother would never let me have a party without her there.'"

Jackson was impressed. "Oh she's good!"

Stephanie nodded. Gia had definitely been good at getting what she wanted. "Anyway, when I went to the party I found out that it was a make out party."

"So what did you do?" he asked.

"I stayed for a little while, but I couldn't do it. I just kept hearing this voice in my head that, at the time, sounded annoyingly like my dad. So I called your mother," she told him.

"Why?" he wondered.

Stephanie smiled at his curiosity. "The morning of my first day of middle school DJ gave me some good advice. She told me never to let anyone pressure me into something I didn't want to do or that I wasn't ready for. She told me that if I was ever in a situation that I didn't feel comfortable in then I could call her and she would pick me up, no questions asked, and she wouldn't even tell dad."

"Really?" Jackson was surprised. His mother was always so overprotective. He honestly could never see his mom saying that.

Stephanie nodded. "The only problem was that when I called DJ, my dad answered and because he had laryngitis at the time I thought he was her." Jackson didn't like where that was going. "My dad came and picked me up from the party right as Gia's mom was getting home from work. Neither of them were happy to say the least. However, later that night my dad and I had a talk. He told me that it took a great deal of maturity to realize when you're in a bad situation and to know when to leave. He was proud of me for calling and asking to go home."

She thought about it. "In retrospect I did still get grounded, but it all worked out in the end. Now Jackson I am going to make the same deal with you. If you are ever in a situation where you are uncomfortable and want to get picked up then all you need to do is give me a call and I will come and get you." His aunt smiled. "Maybe someday when Max and Tommy are old enough you can make the same deal with them."

Jackson took in that moment to really appreciate his aunt. She was definitely his favorite aunt at times. His Aunt Michelle is cool as well, but she spends so much time in New York that he never sees her. She sends the kids money every year for their Christmas and birthday, but it's been about five years or so since he's seen her last.

"Thank you Aunt Stephanie," he said reaching over to hug her.

Deep down he was still nervous about Popko's party, but he did feel better knowing that he had a good exit strategy waiting to be used if need be.

* * *

 _I personally love that moment between Stephanie and Jackson. Okay confession time: that deal wasn't completely imaginary. My sister actually said that to me once I entered middle school. She is five years older and was already driving at the time. She has always been protective and actually raised me more then my parents did at times. She told me to call her if I was ever in any type of situation. Only once did I ever have to call her and it was because of a fight I got into with some friends during a school football game and I wanted to leave early. I won't get into the knitty-gritty details, but I thought that would be a perfect thing to add to these characters. I personally think that every teenager should have at least one safety net to call if they are ever in a situation like that. I will most likely make this same deal with any future nieces and nephews I get someday._

 _Anyway I hope you all liked this chapter as much as I do. I will try and get the next chapter posted soon!_

 _~Kaylee_


	3. Chapter 3

_Hey everyone! Here we go! Chapter 3! So honestly there isn't a whole lot to this chapter, but I feel like you guys needed to see into Ramona about and see her thoughts on everything going on. Also there is a new character that I am adding. His name is Josh and he will be a frequent part of the story as well._

 _Also I wasn't going to upload a chapter today, but I received some good news and I decided that I should try and make someone else's day. I have one term left to complete at school before I graduate with my associate's degree! Then I can transfer to a different school and finish my education there, but either way I'm getting closer. This news just really made my day!_

 _All rights go to the creators of Full House and Fuller House._

* * *

 **About You Now**

 _ **Chapter Three**_

 **Ramona**

Ramona's day was not going well so far.

First she and Jackson chose separate partners during P.E. Then they didn't even pass notes during English (which is a regular thing for them). And finally at lunch they didn't talk at all. She honestly tried to get words to come out of her mouth, but nothing would. She hoped that he would make the first move, but it didn't seem like she would be getting her wish anytime soon.

After lunch Ramona had history class. A lot of students complained about history, but Ramona didn't see the big deal. She liked history. She was good at history. In the class, she was one of the few that never had any issues remembering dates and names. Maybe that's why the teacher liked her so much. She actually tried in class.

Unfortunately for her she didn't have many friends in the class. She had one or two "project friends" who she will work will if partners are needed or who she will get notes from if she misses a day.

That's why she was surprised when Josh Hannigan sat in the desk next to hers today. Usually he sat by the wall in the corner so not to be called on by their teacher. But now he's actually voluntarily sitting next to her near the front. Weird. Josh was definitely a nice guy, and he's cute too with his messy black hair and bright blue eyes, but he usually stays with his close-knit "popular friends."

"Hey, Ramona right?"

She looked up at him surprised.

"Yeah hey," she said a little awkwardly.

Josh seemed to shift in his seat nervously. "Look I'm just going to come right out and say it. I need your help." She raised an eyebrow. He explained, "I'm not doing too well in this class and my mom is threatening to cut me from the soccer team." Everyone knew that his mother was also the school's soccer coach so she could actually do that. "I have got to bring my grade up, and well, I know that you're the best student in this class so . . ."

"You're hoping I'll tutor you," she guessed.

He nodded his head. "Mrs. Howard said that if I get an A on our monarchy presentations then that will be a huge help to my grade. After that I just have to pass the next two tests and then the final. Will you help me?"

She sighed. It was impossible not to give in to that face. "Okay. I will help you."

He beamed.

"Mrs. Howard said we're choosing partners for our presentations today. Now listen I am not going to do all the work. You have to pull your own weight if you want a good grade on this thing."

Josh smiled at her honestly. "I respect that and of course I will help as much as I can."

She nodded accepting it. Ramona pulled forward her instruction sheet for the assignment and gave it a quick once over. "Alright so we have to choose a figure of monarchy and do a presentation on them. Mrs. Howard is going to have us all assigned to whichever figure we decide to do so that way no researches the same person."

Josh nodded at her words. "Did you already have someone in mind?"

"I have a few ideas," she replied. "What about you?"

"Honestly I really don't know that many people from renaissance history?" he admitted sheepishly.

"Well, it doesn't have to be from the renaissance period necessarily," Ramona told him. "We could do a modern day monarch."

Before Josh could say anything else, their teacher called their attention.

"Alright so when I call your name tell me who your partner is and who you will be researching," she informed them. "Alyson Rodriguez."

"I will be teamed with Cassidy and we've decided on Elizabeth I."

Ramona quietly groaned. That was one of her choices.

"William Heft."

"Lyle and I are researching Richard III."

"Interesting," Mrs. Howard commented. She continued to call names one by one. As it seems the students were definitely going for the more famous monarch figures: Henry VIII, the Romonov family, Mary Tudor (Bloody Mary), Catherine de Medici, Elizabeth II, James VI of Scotland (James I of England).

Finally Josh's name was called. "Well me and Ramona have decided to partner up," he told the teacher.

"And who will you two be researching?"

Ramona waited worried. Josh had admitted that he didn't know many figures of historical monarchy and most of the memorable ones were already taken.

"Mary Queen of Scots," he answered without batting an eye.

Ramona was impressed. Mary Stuart was a good figure to do the project on. Maybe this wouldn't turn out so bad after all.

* * *

The two agreed to meet up after school that day. So once Ramona's final class was released she put away her unnecessary text books and made her way to the clock tower where they would be meeting. Josh was already sitting at a table texting on his phone.

The two greeted each other as she sat down. Ramona put her backpack on the table and pulled out her laptop so they could research.

"So why did you choose Mary Queen of Scots?" she broke the silence.

"Honestly?" Josh looked a little embarrassed.

She nodded.

"I watch Reign."

Ramona couldn't hold in the small giggle that escaped.

He groaned at her laughter. "It's not funny. My sister loves all of those history shows. She watched The White Queen, The White Princess, Reign, and The Tudors. Unfortunately at the time that she was watching Reign in the living room, I started watching it and I became addicted."

Her hands were raised in surrender. "Hey, no judgement here. You're talking to a girl who still watches Spongebob."

This time it was Josh who laughed. "Well why wouldn't you? Spongebob is awesome."

They laughed together. Ramona was enjoying herself so much that she didn't notice Jackson walk up to them. "Hey you guys," Jackson interrupted them.

Josh greeted him happily while she remained silent. What did he want? She wondered. Last time they had talked it hadn't gone well. Anxiety began to course through her just at the thought of them fighting again.

"Ramona, can I talk to you for a sec?" he asked politely.

She hesitated. Part of her wanted to agree, only the other one wanted to decline with some excuse. Before Ramona could say anything however Josh stepped in, "It's no problem. You guys stay here. I'll head over and get us some snacks from the vending machine."

Ramona internally groaned at his words. She did not want to hear what Jackson had to say. Once Josh was a safe enough distance away, Jackson sat down next to her.

"We need to talk," he told her quietly.

"So talk," she said focusing her eyes on her history textbook.

Soon her worst fear escaped Jackson's lips. "Popko knows." She raised her eyes to meet his. Knows what? She asked with her eyes. Luckily they knew each other enough that she was positive he would understand. "You know about us. About the kiss." Jackson's voice was lowered as he spoke.

Ramona narrowed her brown eyes. "How does he know?" A horrible thought crossed her mind. "Did you tell him?"

Jackson quickly shook his head. "Of course not. He figured it out. He watched our behavior and could tell that something was wrong."

She groaned as she remembered one of his favorite activities. "That boy always did watch too much Criminal Minds," she commented.

Jackson chuckled and smiled at her words. "He wants us to go to his house tomorrow. His parents are out of town and he's throwing a party. He wants us both there."

"Why?" she demanded. This was not good. Not good at all.

His shoulders shrugged helplessly. "I don't know," he confessed. "He just said we had to be there and if we didn't he would tell everybody about what we did."

A helpless sigh escaped her. Knowing Popko nothing good could come from this party. "You know he probably has something planned for us at the party right?" she pointed out.

Jackson nodded. "I know. So will you come?"

"I don't really have a choice now do I?" She quietly stated.

Before another word could be passed between them, Josh returned with two bags of chips and two bottled waters. He hesitated before asking, "Everything okay?"

Ramona lowered her eyes back down to her textbook as his eyes tried to meet hers. Jackson reluctantly nodded and lied, "Yeah. Everything is fine. I was just telling Ramona that our moms are going out tonight with my aunt so we'll be babysitting my brothers."

The lie flew out of his mouth with ease. It seemed effortless it him. Ramona couldn't help but wonder what else he had lied about lately. Had he lied to her recently? Did she even want to know?

Next to her Josh nodded. Though he seemed to know that something was up he didn't question Jackson's lie.

With nothing left to say, Jackson picked up his backpack from its spot on the floor and stood from the table. Jackson turned back toward them looking like he wanted to say something. "Oh, and Josh, you should give Ramona the barbeque chips. They're her favorites," he told Josh gesturing to the bags between them.

Ramona smiled at his words. Things may be awkward between them right now, thing may be uncertain, but it was times like these that reminded Ramona exactly why Jackson is her best friend. He cared not only about her, but also for her. It seemed like he would go to any length to make her happy. It was that, his selflessness, that Ramona loved above anything else.

* * *

 _So tell me, what do you think of Josh? Interested? intrigued? Hate him? Love him? I'm open to hearing your opinions. Like I said there wasn't must to this chapter, however the next one is going to be Popko's party and boy is that going to be interesting. Send me suggests of what you want to see happen and if they're good enough I may just add it into the chapter!_

 _~Kaylee_


	4. Chapter 4

_Happy Holidays everyone! This will be the last chapter that I post before 2018. Now I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!_

 _All rights go to the creators of Full House and Fuller House._

* * *

 **About You Now**

 _ **Chapter Four**_

 **Jackson**

The music in Popko's house was blaring to the highest capacity. Various drinks and snacks were laid out in the kitchen. Some of the boys were playing games on Popko's flat screen while others chatted up a few of the girls who weren't dancing.

Jackson walked into the party feeling like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. He was wearing a light blue V-neck with dark-wash jeans. Ramona had insisted upon dressing him for the night.

Neither of them were particularly excited about coming to the party, but they figured that they should at least make the most out of the situation. Ramona was dressed in black skinny jeans with a turquoise tank top that fell to her hips and a black vest. She also wore black ankle boots to finish off the outfit.

In that moment, studying his friend who stood beside him, Jackson was unable to lie or keep quiet. He had to tell her, "You look beautiful," he blurted.

Ramona's cheeks reddened at his words. "Thank you," she said with a small smile on her face.

"Jackson! Ramona!" They both turned to greet Lola as she came up to them. Ramona hugged her while Jackson gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Have you guys been here long?" She asked them.

Jackson shook his head. "We just got here."

"Good. Come on Jackson. I want to dance." Lola grabbed his hand and pulled him to where a few other people were dancing.

He had to admit it was a bit awkward. He wasn't the best dancer, but he put aside his self-conscious feelings and danced with his girlfriend. As they danced he noticed something from the corner of his eye. He looked over to find Ramona talking to Josh. She was laughing at something he said.

Something must have shown on his face because Lola asked, "Are you okay?"

His head jerked back to her and he sent her a reassuring smile. "I'm fine," he lied.

Jackson sneaked another look at Ramona and Josh only to feel his heart clench in his chest. Ramona had a big smile on her face and her hand was on his arm. Tearing his eyes away he turned back to his girlfriend. She hadn't noticed.

The various activities in the party were soon interrupted by the lowering of the music's volume. A few people groaned while others looked confused. Popko stood up on one of the tables in the room so everyone could see him. "Alright everybody!" He yelled over all the talking. "I now have all the games set up in different rooms. We have Monopoly, for anyone looking to make an enemy tonight, in the dining room. Twister is here by the TV. Seven Minutes in Heaven," a few of the guys whistled and cat called, "in the guest room. And finally, in my room, we have Truth or Dare." His eyes found Jackson's. "It'll be interesting to see who goes where."

Jumping down from the table, Popko turned up the music volume and made his way over. Jackson watched Popko with steely eyes.

"Are you two going to play one of the games?" He asked Jackson and Lola.

Jackson was about to decline when Lola spoke up, "We're going to your room. I love Truth or Dare."

Popko sent him a devious smile. "Good. I'll see you both there," he stated before walking away.

Turning toward Lola, Jackson admitted, "I'm really not in the mood for Truth or Dare."

Lola pouted at him. "Come on Jackson please. What's the worst thing that could happen?"

Jackson shuddered at the thought. Knowing Popko, anything could happen. He internally groaned. Lola was giving him the puppy-dog pout. He was a sucker for the puppy-dog pout. He was never able to say no.

He reluctantly nodded. "Fine. We'll play."

Just saying those words left a bitter taste in his mouth. Why did he feel like he just made a huge mistake?

* * *

Lola followed behind Jackson as he led the way to Popko's bedroom. Walking into his former friend's room, he immediately noticed that Ramona and Josh were there as well. They went over to them and smiled.

"Popko talk you into this as well?" Jackson asked.

Ramona nodded unenthusiastically.

Josh smiled at Jackson and Lola. "It should be fun at least."

Both Josh and Lola were very optimistic. Jackson's hope however weren't that high.

Popko soon called everyone together in the room. The four of them, plus Popko, and five other teenagers sat together in a circle. Popko used a name shuffling app to decide who would go first. "Eric," he announced looking at the red-headed boy at the opposite side of the circle. "Truth or dare?"

Eric shrugged. "Truth."

Popko thought about it, before laughing, "Have you ever had a surprise visit from your 'little friend' during class?"

The group of teenagers all laughed at the question. Eric's face turned as red as his hair at the question. Jackson could feel his own cheeks reddening just at the situation alone.

Eric slowly nodded. "Last year in Miss Stewart's math class."

More laughter erupted from the group at his confession.

Eric eventually shook off his embarrassment. He picked up Popko's phone and shuffled the names again. "Lola, truth or dare?"

Lola didn't hesitate. "Dare."

A few of the teenagers "Ooh"-ed at her decision. Eric considered his choices before decided. He smirked and said, "I dare you to wear a pair of Popko's underwear on your head."

She gaped at him. Her mouth opened to argue, but Eric beat her to it, "Fail to do this and you'll have to _kiss_ Popko. What's worse? Popko or his underwear?"

Glancing at Popko, Jackson glared at him. Popko had an "I'm the king of the world" smile on his face. Lola didn't seem enthusiastic about either choice. Actually, she looked a tad sick just at the thought.

She sent Eric a seething look before deciding, "Okay. I'll take the underwear."

While smirking, Popko stood up from his spot and walked to his dresser at the far corner of the room. Opening the top drawer he pulled out a pair of grey boxers that had a few holes in them. They looked very well worn.

Lola looked a little green at the sight of them, but she swallowed the disgust down and went forward with the dare. "Hand them over," she demanded. Luckily for Lola her nails were long so she was able to pick up the underwear with the tips of her nails so it didn't end up touching her skin. Reluctantly she placed the underwear over her head like a hat.

"Give me the phone," she said with an outstretched hand.

The game continued for a while. Some of the players left while others came into the room and joined. Many dares and truths were exchanged throughout the circle. Jackson sat and waited for Popko to make his move. Every time the phone picked his or Ramona's name he held his breath sure that Popko would put his plan into action.

Holding his breath once again, it was Ramona's turn. She had been doing well throughout the game. She's taken every dare and question thrown at her with ease. Jackson hoped that she could keep this up, only the chances of that were about to lessen because next up to bat was Popko and he had a smirk on his face that was bigger than he had ever seen before.

"Truth or Dare, Ramona?" Popko asked with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Truth! Please pick truth! Don't do it! He silently begged her.

Ramona snuck a glance at Jackson before turning back to Popko. The glint in her brown eyes was equally mischievous.

"Dare," she said slowly.

Jackson sucked in a breath. This was it, he knew. Popko was going to make his move. Why would you pick dare?!

Standing up, the young thirteen year old walked over to his bed. Going onto his knees, Popko pulled out a large glass bottle. Squinting at the bottle he froze at the sight. This is bad.

Walking back tauntingly, he set the bottle down in front of Ramona. "Drink it. All of it."

Ramona stared at the bottle of Vodka with a blank expression. She left her face clear of emotion, but Jackson knew her better than anyone. He could read the slight fear and horror in her eyes. There was something else as well though. Determination. Popko was testing her and she didn't want to fail.

No. He decided. He couldn't let her do this.

"No," Jackson spoke up.

Several of the teenagers looked up at him. Popko was wearing a knowing smirk while both Lola and Ramona watched him with curious eyes.

"Sorry, Jackson," Popko said with a pleased voice, "but it's not your dare. You can't say no."

Ignoring him, he turned back to Ramona. "You are not doing this. You can't. Do you know how sick you could get from doing this?"

Ramona remained silent for a moment before turning back to Popko. "What if I don't do this dare?"

"Then you get to kiss someone in this circle."

She rolled her eyes. "Who? You?"

"Nope," he smirked. "Jackson."

We both froze in our spots.

"What are you trying to pull?" Jackson demanded once he broke out of his shock.

Popko shrugged. "Oh, nothing. I just wanna see how you two end up playing this. I mean, after all, you two have never kissed each other before. Aren't you curious?"

Jackson glared at him. He couldn't bring himself to look at either Ramona or Lola.

"Go on," he urged. "If you don't wanna drink that Vodka then you two have to kiss."

Shaking his head, he said, "Who are you to tell us what to do? You aren't the boss of me. You're just a bully with no friends." Popko glared at him. Jackson turned to Ramona. "Come on. Let's get out of here."

Jackson stood up and left the room without a look back. He didn't check to see if Ramona was behind him. The scent of her perfume rafted toward him so he knew that she was close. Walking down the stairs, Jackson bypassed all the music playing and the dancing teenagers.

Pulling his phone out once he made it outside, he dialed a familiar number, "Hey, Aunt Steph, can you pick us up?"

* * *

 _I hope everyone enjoyed this chapter. Remember never let anyone pressure you into something you don't want to do. I felt like these character needed to learn that. Let me know what you think!_

 _~Kaylee_


End file.
